Vail Resorts Announces New 50%Off Program

Vail Resorts CEO Rob Katz wants you to take your friends skiing.

“We started thinking about, well, how do people get into the sport in the first place? … Somebody brought me into the sport,” Katz told SKI. “I think skiing is just inherently social. People love skiing with other people.”

As of today, August 12, the company has overhauled its Buddy Ticket system. Now called Epic Friend Tickets, Epic pass holders will be able to slide their friends substantial discounts on day passes this season.

If you have an Epic Pass, Epic Local Pass, Epic Military Pass, Northeast Value Pass, or most of Vail’s other season passes, you’ll get between six and ten Epic Friend Tickets to share, depending on when you purchased the pass. Each ticket knocks 50% off the window price of a lift ticket at any of Vail’s 37 North American resorts, from Whistler Blackcomb to Northstar.

“If you ski or ride, chances are someone brought you into the sport, and we want to make it easier for you to pay it forward,” Katz said. “Epic Friend Tickets are the next step on our nearly two-decade-long journey to make skiing more accessible.”

Epic pass sales have waned recently, and Vail is betting the program will help fight the stagnation. If a skier uses an Epic Friend Ticket during the 2025–26 season, they can apply 100% of that ticket’s cost toward an Epic Pass for the following winter (unless they already have a current pass).

“We know not everyone can plan ahead,” Katz added. “If you don’t have an Epic Pass, the next best thing is knowing someone who does.”

"We know it means people will ski more consistently, more frequently over more years," he added. "Yes, we lose some money on some people, of course. But we think we're growing the pie."

The Epic Pass on sale for $1,075 until September 1, when prices will increase.